Walmart to open-source its cloud-hopping code

Retail colossus Walmart has open-sourced its own cloud operations code. Walmart is a big cloud user but says that come the year's fourth quarter its online retailing operations are too big for any one cloud to handle. Portability is therefore something it prizes, hence its 2013 investment in cloud automation startup OneOps, to …

[Anonymous Coward]

'But not many organisations do so to damage a rival by attacking one of its rising lines of business. Does Walmart really have it in for Amazon?'

Is that true? It seems like the same strategy Google followed with Android. They didn't have a lengthy history of open-sourcing projects of this scale before it became necessary to claw back mind and marketshare from iOS.

Also see Openstack.

What Warren Buffett calls a company's moat is the value it has that allows it to charge a premium over the long term and make profit. Amazon are a big threat to the moat of many firms including Walmart and a host of tech providers. Eroding Amazon's moat is one part of their effort to neutralise that threat.

[Roland6]

"Between now and then, let's ask ourselves why Walmart's doing this."

Does the 'why' really matter? It is clear Walmart is being both a good technology citizen and an astute business.

Firstly, portability of systems and workloads between cloud vendors has been an issue since the outset of public cloud. So Walmart in backing the development of OneOps has enabled them to crack this problem. Now comes the business part, they have commercialised this 'inhouse' development, yes they have released it as open-source, but expect them to provide services around this product, just like others in the commercial open-source market, and in so doing they convert a cost centre into a profit centre. This is an approach I was advising clients on back in the 90's, so not a new business model, just updated.

A big benefit to the IT industry of having this code available as open-source is that it may help make the market more accessible to smaller boutique cloud providers, because the product/code becomes a sort of defacto standard for cloud portability.

[Elmer Phud]

Re: "Between now and then, let's ask ourselves why Walmart's doing this."

" It is clear Walmart is being both a good technology citizen and an astute business."

Please don't look any further -- it may the the only thing that Walmart has ever done to merit any pat on the back.

[Ian Michael Gumby]

Re: "Between now and then, let's ask ourselves why Walmart's doing this."

Sorry, but if you actually believe in this mythical 'good corporate citizen', I've got some swamp land in Florida I need to unload.

Seriously, most if not all good acts are done for the benefit of the company.

There is no altruism, especially if the company is publicly traded or is sucking on the teat of a VC firm.

[Roland6]

Re: "Between now and then, let's ask ourselves why Walmart's doing this."

I think you will find the " mythical 'good corporate citizen' " is a lot more common than rocking horse shit, because there are times when being a "good corporate citizen" is also an "astute business decision". However, it may be a few years down the road before things begin to clarify...

[tony2heads]

Why the horse?

perhaps a customer who didn't like it

[Midnight]

Re: Why the horse?

It's the Walmart.horse, one of the Walton family's proudest acquisitions.

[Richard Wharram]

Ah...

So it happened then? :)

[Herby]

Why??

It seems that Walmart isn't to excited to be surpassed as the #1 retailer in the World. It is simple Walmart is simply getting even revenge.

[enormous c word]

Seriously...

Of course Amazon is a massive competitor to Walmart as a retailer of stuff. Also a supplier of IT Services. Probably even a customer (to some small extent). Hurting Amazon would be extraordinarily attractive to any traditional High Street retailer.